BMENationalhttps://bmenational.wordpress.com
More than just housing.Thu, 08 Mar 2018 11:30:32 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/e78befdb0294a39ed3fc1988d3713fc5?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngBMENationalhttps://bmenational.wordpress.com
Investing in housing leads to greater health benefits in the long termhttps://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/investing-in-housing-leads-to-greater-health-benefits-in-the-long-term/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/investing-in-housing-leads-to-greater-health-benefits-in-the-long-term/#respondThu, 08 Mar 2018 11:30:23 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3527Investing in housing leads to greater health benefits in the long term article written by Cym D’Souza
]]>https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/investing-in-housing-leads-to-greater-health-benefits-in-the-long-term/feed/0bmenationalHuman City Institutehttps://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/human-city-institute/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/human-city-institute/#respondThu, 08 Mar 2018 11:08:09 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3525Read all the latest news and events on the Human City Institute website

]]>https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/human-city-institute/feed/0bmenationalChanging the statistics on BME leadership by Jackie Aduseihttps://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/changing-the-statistics-on-bme-leadership-by-jackie-adusei/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/changing-the-statistics-on-bme-leadership-by-jackie-adusei/#respondFri, 02 Feb 2018 11:35:21 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3522Continue reading →]]>Securing a place on the Leadership 2025 programme, together with acquiring the role of Director of Operations/Deputy CEO at YMCA West London, alongside turning 50 years of age were a few of my most momentous accomplishments of 2017.

]]>https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/bmenational-meetings-2017/feed/0bmenationalHousing Minister visits affordable homes projects in Leedshttps://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/housing-minister-visits-affordable-homes-projects-in-leeds/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/housing-minister-visits-affordable-homes-projects-in-leeds/#respondFri, 03 Nov 2017 13:13:37 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3494THE MINISTER of State for Housing and Planning has been in Leeds to see the work Unity Homes and Enterprise is doing to provide high quality affordable homes across the city.

]]>https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/housing-minister-visits-affordable-homes-projects-in-leeds/feed/0bmenationalBME HAs must play an ‘expanded role’https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/bme-has-must-play-an-expanded-role/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/bme-has-must-play-an-expanded-role/#respondThu, 12 Oct 2017 11:36:06 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3484Continue reading →]]>A raft of official inquiries and reports have confirmed what we in the black and minority ethnic (BME) housing sector have long known – that BME communities continue to suffer disadvantage and discrimination because of their ethnicity despite decades of equality legislation, statutory codes, and voluntary initiatives.

The latest – a comprehensive racial disparity audit by the government of the economy and society – looks like underscoring how BME communities, by and large, remain left behind when it comes to the best jobs, the most in-demand housing, and access to vital public services.

Alongside, BME communities have borne the brunt of austerity and welfare reform, which have contributed to growing racial inequality in the UK.

All of this forms a worrying backdrop to the BME National annual conference, taking place in London on 19th October. The conference will focus on the disproportionate effects of austerity and persistent racial inequality, together with how BME housing associations are rising to meet these challenges.

Our conferences, which go back many years to the days of the Federation of Black Housing Organisations, are opportunities for us to discuss how we might increase our impact and extend our sector with others from social housing and from a range of organisations and individuals from other sectors. In recent years, our conferences have been augmented by comprehensive research and an external consultation exercise with our stakeholders, key partners, tenants and communities, run in partnership with the Human City Institute (HCI), resulting in a forward looking as well as a ‘state of the sector’ report, and a comprehensive review of forty years of racial discrimination and disadvantage in housing and neighbourhoods.

Working mainly in the major towns and cities of England, our presence has been a long-term bulwark against poverty, disadvantage, discrimination and austerity, HCI’s report concluded. We have offered rehousing opportunities for many BME people not well-served by the wider housing system: BME people are still more likely to be homeless, live in poor and overcrowded housing, experience fuel poverty, and have higher mortality and morbidity rates.

HCI’s report also underlines the pivotal importance of BME housing organisations in disadvantaged communities. It recommends that our sector should be expanded to make a greater contribution to meeting the housing, care, support, health and employment needs of BME communities, since these are not adequately met by mainstream social landlords.
There is considerable scope for BME housing organisations to access new markets. Integrated health, social care and well-being policy areas offer various and multiple opportunities; especially since health inequalities persist in BME communities. Promoting community cohesion, along the lines advocated by the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) Social Integration, is a longstanding specialism.

BME housing organisations are also increasingly engaging with new migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. We have recently launched our pledge to new migrants together with a range of larger, mainstream housing associations.
These future options for BME housing organisations, and the wider challenges to the social housing sector, will be discussed at length at our London conference on 19th October. So if organisations and individuals want to help us make even more of a difference to racial equality in housing, come along and say hello.

]]>https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/bme-has-must-play-an-expanded-role/feed/0bmenationalIt’s time to address the racial injustice in Britain’s social housinghttps://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/its-time-to-address-the-racial-injustice-in-britains-social-housing/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/its-time-to-address-the-racial-injustice-in-britains-social-housing/#respondThu, 12 Oct 2017 09:11:40 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3481Continue reading →]]>For 30 years, specialist BME housing associations have fought for better housing, but we need more money and concerted action.

The government’s racial disparity audit confirms the extent and persistence of racial injustice in Britain, but includes precious little on housing beyond commenting on lower levels of home ownership among ethnic minorities… read the full article on the Guardian Website.

]]>https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/its-time-to-address-the-racial-injustice-in-britains-social-housing/feed/0bmenationalCreating a more diverse housing sectorhttps://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/creating-a-more-diverse-housing-sector/
https://bmenational.wordpress.com/2017/10/10/creating-a-more-diverse-housing-sector/#respondTue, 10 Oct 2017 11:26:42 +0000http://bmenational.wordpress.com/?p=3477Continue reading →]]>The review by David Lammy of the UK’s criminal justice system, the report by the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on Social Integration on the integration of new migrants, and a range of new evidence on employment have underscored how far the UK still has to go to offer full equality on the grounds of ‘race’.
Mr Lammy’s review confirmed the long observed inequalities in how black and minority ethnic (BME) citizens fare under our nation’s policing and sentencing practices. For example, the proportion of BME young offenders in custody rose from 25% to 41% between 2006 and 2016, despite the overall number of young offenders falling to record lows.

The APPG on Social Integration, chaired by Chuka Umunna, recognised a “rising concern about anti-immigrant sentiment and the demonisation of newcomers”. It further remarked that, following the Brexit vote, there has been a striking increase in racist abuse and hate crime directed at both new migrants and settled BME communities.

And new research by The Guardian and Operation Black Vote – as part of its Inequality Project – has recorded the under-representation of BME people in the UK’s power structure. The research has revealed that the UK’s top 1,000 organisations have just 3.5% BME people in senior positions in contrast to more than 17% of the total population.
The Guardian research has shown how many BME people in major organisations are over-qualified for their roles compared with their white counterparts, who are more likely to climb the career ladder. It concludes that BME talent “is not necessarily lacking in abundance, but it is seriously lacking in support”.

This is confirmed by a 2014 study by the University of Manchester that showed higher levels of qualification of BME adults when compared with their white peers, although the generally ‘younger’ age profile of the BME population partly accounts for this. The study concluded that this educational shift has failed to translate into the workplace, with BME people more likely to be left in low-paid jobs.
While the employment picture in social housing is not as bleak – the 2015 Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH) Presidential Commission on leading diversity showed that 11% of CIH members and 7% of housing’s leaders are from BME backgrounds. There remains much to be done.

One of the great achievements of BME housing organisations, as the report by the Human City Institute from last year pointed up, is their ability to recognise talent, nurture BME staff and help advance their rise to the highest levels within BME housing organisations. Historically, this has provided the wider housing sector with a wealth of talent in terms of staff, senior managers and board members.

The BME housing sector has long shown that diversity is crucial for creating successful, thriving community businesses. After all, championing equality and diversity enables social housing greater access to innovation and new ways of working.
It also recognises the changing nature of our economy and society. This is more important in social housing since one in five tenants are from a BME background, and in many of our major conurbations where the majority of social housing is located, the BME population represent more than one in three households.

And it cannot be stressed often enough that BME communities bear the brunt of housing deprivation – especially poor and overcrowded housing – are more likely to become homeless, have far less housing wealth than white people, and more frequently live in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Today, social housing helps to rectify such disadvantages which have deep roots going back to the early days of migration to the UK from the West Indies, Asia and Africa, and have yet to be full dismantled.

On control of social landlords by board and senior staff, the CIH’s Presidential Commission established a number of challenges for the social housing sector. To be achieved by 2020, these included challenging all employer and external agencies responsible for recruitment to ensure that all shortlists include qualified candidates from under-represented groups. Alongside, the commission recommended an aspirational target for board recruitment from these groups.

Publication of ‘diversity data’ on the composition of the boards, executive teams and total workforce of social landlords was advocated, too – to be presented annually. Identifying and providing mentoring and coaching opportunities for staff and board members from under-represented groups was also on high on the list of challenges set.

Rising to these challenges is good business sense for social housing and promotes value for money, as well as dovetailing with the fair housing approach supported by BME National. Improving equality and diversity across social housing fits not only with our historic social purpose but sets us apart as a modern, fair and committed sector for all communities.